The Edge of Yesterday
by SerenityWinter
Summary: The Doctor needs to save Earth, possibly for the last time. When you know things are going to end soon, it's like being stuck on the edge of yesterday. But everyone knows that endings are just a different sort of beginning. A Doctor Who story.
1. A Hero's Legacy

**The Edge of Yesterday**

 **By SerenityWinter**

 **A Hero's Legacy**

 _ **DISCLAIMER**_ **:** _**I do not own Doctor Who, BBC, or any of these characters.**_

The Doctor pushed buttons and flipped switches on the TARDIS console, but he knew it was useless. She was set in her ways and would do as she pleased. The TARDIS knew what she was doing. Before long, the TARDIS stopped moving. The Doctor straightened his bowtie and stepped outside to the random place that awaited him.

The moment he left that blue police box, he halted. It wasn't random. The Doctor didn't have to smell the air or lick the ground to know where he was. This place had haunted him for longer than he could remember. Dårlig Ulv Stranden. Better known as Bad Wolf Bay.

He turned to step back into his TARDIS. The doors closed behind him. The Doctor sat down, "What are you telling me?"

The TARDIS' answer rang in the back of his mind. _A reminder_ , she told him.

Standing up, he reached for the TARDIS controls once more. Still, she told him. "Not yet."

He wondered if he was being punished for something. He had done nothing, but that was a lie. The Doctor had lived a thousand years and prolonged life meant prolonged pain. What purpose did the TARDIS have bringing him to that horrid place?

The Doctor needed no reminder. If it was supposed to remind him of what he had done, fear not, for he already knew. He had killed entire species, seen them wiped off the face of the universe. Planets died, and he sat there watching. He had seen all of history planned out and written like a script for the television.

Over the years, he had accepted his curse. The Doctor was cursed with being immortal and still having a soul. Throughout time, the people he met became friends, those friends became companions, and companions became family. And family always left him.

It was a cycle that he made no motion to stop. The TARDIS stopped moving once more and he still sat. The voice told him to go, but The Doctor refused. He didn't want to put himself through this again.

The voice urged him. _Come on, you know you want to. After all these years, isn't it the pain that tells you you're still alive?_

The Doctor reluctantly stood up and the TARDIS doors opened. He stopped to find himself in an alleyway. The snow fell and dusted the streets of London. He could barely hear anything that was being said, but he knew what was happening.

Rose Tyler. He had already said his goodbye, but he would willingly burn up any sun just to go back in time and see her again. And then there was a man. It was still The Doctor, but he barely recognized himself in that state. He had already been through that regeneration, but it was still difficult to watch himself dying. It pained him to see Rose, knowing that she was gone and never coming back.

At this point in the timeline, Rose didn't know him and had probably forgotten him now. Even now, he still had to remind himself that Rose was gone. The Doctor watched his previous incarnation make his way back into the TARDIS. He knew what was going to happen next. It was already written. The Doctor walked toward his TARDIS, but the doors slammed loudly. Rose paused and turned around and he hid in the alleyway until she walked away. The Doctor opened the doors and walked back into the TARDIS.

Rose Tyler was walking back home when she paused. There was a loud noise, like a door slamming. She thought nothing of it and continued to walk. Rose thought about what that drunk man had said. She didn't know why or how, but Rose had a feeling that something wonderful was going to happen soon.

He wondered what was putting him through this torture. The TARDIS cared, she would never do this to him. And so he asked the question. "Why are you doing this to me?"

There was only silence. When he began to flip switches on the TARDIS console, nothing happened. It was like the TARDIS was resisting his control.

"You must obey me!" The Doctor yelled.

A voice came from behind him, "The TARDIS obeys a higher power than you."

The Doctor turned, "Rose? No, not Rose. You're Bad Wolf, aren't you?"

He looked at her common Gallifreyan attire and the wild look in her eyes.

She paced around the room. "Rose Tyler is still a part of me. I came here because she wants answers, and so does the Big Bad Wolf."

Bad Wolf didn't know who she was anymore. It felt like for centuries she had roamed the universe, a shell of the once beloved Rose Tyler. She shared a face with that girl, but nothing more. Rose Tyler was a 19-year-old human in love with The Doctor. But not Bad Wolf. Bad Wolf was old. Older than all of the Time Lords. She didn't really experience the human emotions. But ever since Rose Tyler became her host, she found a need to protect people. To save the humans, and people like The Doctor. She felt Rose within her, wanting to see The Doctor once more. Bad Wolf was seeking answers herself. Answers only the last Time Lord could provide.

Since she was composed of the Time Vortex itself, taking control of the TARDIS wasn't remotely difficult. Now was the time for answers.

"Why did you do this to me?" He asked.

"I had to make you remember."

"Why?" The Doctor demanded.

Bad Wolf debated amongst herself for a moment. He wasn't supposed to know, but he deserved to. She stepped towards the Time Lord. "I need you to remember your past. Access all your memories," She tapped her temple with her index finger, "The ones in here. The things you put in the dark places in the back of your mind, the place you put the things you don't ever want to think about. The things you want to forget, that you wish you never knew in the first place."

She put her hands on The Doctor's head, "Especially those ones."

 **Comments and reviews appreciated :)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**

 **UPDATE 10/27: I would appreciate if you guys could visit my profile and take the poll for what femslash ship should I write for.**


	2. The Story of Bad Wolf

**The Story of Bad Wolf**

Bad Wolf showed him images of his home planet, the place he lived until everything fell apart. Around them swirled an illusion of Gallifrey before it was destroyed in the Time War. Albeit it was rather beautiful, but an illusion nonetheless. The Doctor saw his planet, the way he knew it when he was young. Golden and full of life. The words echoed over in his mind, "Gallifrey falls no more."

He looked at Bad Wolf standing before him. "It wasn't all in my head, was it? It was you."  
All she did was nod silently. He saw images of the Time War and River Song.

Bad Wolf stepped away and the images faded away.

"Are you still her? Rose, I mean."

She faltered for a moment, "I guess so. I don't really know anymore. Sometimes I can hear her in my mind. The Rose Tyler girl speaking to me."

"What does she say?"  
"She talks to me. She asks about you and her mum. Wants me to make sure that everyone's alright,"

"Can she hear me? Can I talk to her?" The Doctor asked.

"I can try, but it isn't her,"

"I don't care."

Bad Wolf stared into his eyes and listen to the voice within her. The voice of Rose Tyler.

"Rose?"

Bad Wolf spoke what Rose told her. She could hear Rose in the back of her mind, wanting to talk to The Doctor.

"Doctor," Bad Wolf said.

"I've missed you."

Bad Wolf felt the voice of Rose take over. "How long has it been? How many others have there been?" Rose asked.

"About 300 years. I've traveled with the Ponds."

"300 years. And how many times have you forgotten my name?"

"I've been here for a thousand years. I've been a thousand people and lived a thousand lives. And never, not in one of them, have I forgotten you, Rose Tyler."

She felt Rose smiling, but the smile faltered. "What is it?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm sorry. I never should have come here. It was unfair to both of us?"

"How? Why?"

"Because I'm not real. None of this is."

Rose stepped away and the illusion faded.

"What are you talking about? What was that?" The Doctor asked.

"Your memories. A reminder. A dark time is coming and you'll need to be prepared."

She gently stroked his cheek, "Goodbye, my love."

Her hand fell and The Doctor looked frantically. "Rose? Rose? Bad Wolf?"

The Doctor ran outside the TARDIS and the doors closed behind him. He thought he saw a glimpse of Bad Wolf, but the image quickly vanished. A flyer fell to the ground and The Doctor picked it up. Only two words were written on the page, but it was enough to tell him that it wasn't a dream. **BAD WOLF**

Rose Tyler came home from work that day to find an envelope with her name scrawled on it. "Mum?"

A voice came from the kitchen, "The letter's for you, sweetie!"

"But who's it from?"

"I don't know. Open it!" Jackie said.

Rose went to her room and sat down on her bed. She opened the envelope and unfolded the piece of paper.

" **Dear Rose,**

 **I'm sorry for everything I've done. Or everything I'm about to do. Just know that it'll all make sense someday. I'm sorry for not saying those three words. I'm sorry for leaving you, I'm sorry for abandoning you when you needed me most. Things are going to get complicated for you, soon. Just have a good life and be happy. That's all I want for you. Even if I may never see you again, just be safe. Goodbye, Bad Wolf."**

Rose didn't know what the letter meant and she wasn't supposed to. Not yet. The Doctor couldn't explain it to her.

But Bad Wolf was right. Everyone needed to be prepared.

It was inevitable. Eventually, the day would come when Gallifrey would fall once more.

 **Author's Note: Thank you all for your positive feedback! Comments and reviews are appreciated :)**


	3. A Time Lord Theory

**A Time Lord Theory**

The Doctor came up with numerous theories of what Bad Wolf meant when she told him that he needed to be prepared. He spent years trying to decode the meaning and anticipate what it meant. After a while, he lost faith in Bad Wolf. He assumed that she had just said that, that the dark times had passed.

He got old, he got new kidneys. And yet, nothing happened. He lost Amy and Rory and Clara and Bill. Everyone left and The Doctor stood alone, just like the beginning.

Then she came back. It wasn't the real her, but it was enough. The Doctor turned to see a hologram. It saddened him greatly to see the hologram of Amy Pond. And then it spoke. "I'm sorry, this is the only way I could find to communicate with you. I know it's a painful memory."

The Doctor nodded somberly. "Bad Wolf."

She nodded silently.

"You lied to me and tricked me into believing you. I've lost everyone and everything. What could you possibly want from me now?"

"I wanted to tell you that I didn't lie. I'm sorry that I kept you waiting. The dark event will come soon, just later than I expected. When you're like me, the timeline doesn't make sense sometimes."  
"You think I don't know that?" The Doctor snapped.

"Just be patient. The time will come soon," she said.

"When. I've waited and I've been patient. The timeline may move faster for you, but I've had to live through this. I'm done."

He stood defiant.

"I know that it has been a long time. Just wait."

Now The Doctor was angry. Perhaps the angriest he'd ever been in a very long time. "I'm done with waiting and being patient. I never agreed to any of this!"

She spoke softly, "I know. But if you do nothing, be aware of the consequences. Just remember: No More."

Before he could say another word, the hologram disappeared. The Doctor knew what those words meant. But they weren't just words. Oh, they were so much more than that. They were a promise.

He remembered when lng ago, several of his previous incarnations saved his Gallifrey. And then they made a promise. Never again would they see their planet die. Gallifrey falls no more.

Even now, he would keep that promise. If anything would put Gallifrey in danger, he would risk everything he had left to save the planet that The Doctor had once called home. Earth was his his home now. That settled the matter. Everything had been taken from him, and that meant he had nothing left to lose. And that made him even more dangerous.

The Doctor decided that no matter what creatures, no matter what weeping angel, no matter who or what came to invade, he would protect Earth.

And then he waited. After Bad Wolf had contacted him, it wasn't a long wait.

He felt the TARDIS move, even though he had done nothing. Suddenly, the movement stopped. The Doctor stood and carefully opened the TARDIS door to see Kate Stewart standing outside. "Mr. Lord President, I apologize we had to transport you here this way. We need your assistance with a diplomatic emergency," she said.

"Boring!"

The Doctor went to close the TARDIS door, but Kate blocked the door. "Doctor, please."

He sighed. "I'll consider helping. But please, next time could you at least call first?"

Kate escorted The Doctor to a large room where they arranged a video conference with various Presidents, Prime Ministers, and delegates from around the world. The Doctor turned to Kate, "Can you tell me what's going now?"

"First, we need to put down some information for the record. State your name, rank, and purpose,"

He sighed, "The Doctor, Doctor, I don't know yet,"

She put her clipboard down. "We have a diplomatic emergency involving some sort of aliens. They call themselves Time Lords."

The Doctor's face paled. "I don't think I should be dealing with this. Over 900 years and they still hold a grudge."

"We need your help," Kate said.

"Is there an alien invasion? If not, then goodbye."

"Their leader asked for you specifically."

"This won't be good," The Doctor said.

"The planet is at risk," Kate said.

"Where are they. The Time Lords."

"We'll be conferencing with them in a moment."

A voice sounded from behind them. They turned to see a hologram of a man wearing formal robes and a strange hat. The Doctor recognized him as Rassilon, the man who had ruled over the Time Lords for countless centuries. Through death and regeneration, Rassilon ruled.

"Doctor," Rassilon greetded.

"What business do you have with the people of Earth?" The Doctor asked.

Rassilon's projection glared at them, "I see we're diving right into the business at hand."

"Just tell me what's going on."

"Gallifrey is in trouble. We need Earth," Rassilon said.

Kate spoke, "What do you mean, 'you need Earth'?"

"Gallifrey is in a civil war. The peasants have staged a revolt and we must have Earth for evacuation. Myself and the Time Lords are in danger."

"Why don't you just make peace with the others?" The Doctor asked.

"They simply won't negotiate. We need Earth. If you won't give the planet up willingly, we will have no choice but to take it by force."

The Doctor nodded solemnly. "I see. Now, this issue may have a peaceful resolution. Perhaps if you weren't being such an idiot, your planet wouldn't be in civil war."

Now, The Doctor wasn't quite sure what happened next. What was for sure, was that the next events were not good. There was a lot of shouting and arguing.

All in all, it wasn't the worst situation The Doctor had been in. For diplomats, these people weren't being very diplomatic. What The Doctor didn't know was that Bad Wolf was there. She wasn't in the room, but she was watching from afar. Bad Wolf was someplace. She wasn't quite sure where, but she was watching the timeline unfold right in front of her. And then she thought. Thinking was abnormal for a deity composed of the Time Vortex itself. But, she was thinking.

The Doctor had roamed time and space with each of his companions, but Bad Wolf was connected to each of them. Particularly one Rose Tyler. Of course they shared a face, but it was something more than that. Something deeper.

Bad Wolf felt something, even though she couldn't feel. It was strange for her. She recognized the sensation as something mortals referred to as 'jealousy'.

What did she have to be jealous of? Bad Wolf had control of time and space, infinite knowledge and all-knowing.

But the answer lay in her appearance. Rose Tyler. They shared a face and nothing more, but there was still something missing. Bad Wolf could see the Tyler girl's whole life. Her mum, her boyfriend, and her brother.

It could only be described as emptiness. Bad Wolf shared a face with Rose, but she had nothing else besides the face. She envied the Tyler girl. And that was when the Big Bad Wolf realized that she was nothing. No emotions, no life, no place to call home. She was a shell of the girl she wanted to be most. A memory left behind, a dream burnt to ash.

 **Author's Note: I'm sorry it took me so long to update the story, but I really hope you guys liked Part Three of The Edge of Yesterday. Part Four will be coming soon, and as always, reviews/comments are appreciated!**


	4. The Long Way Round

**The Long Way Round**

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of Doctor Who, BBC, Torchwood, or any of the characters mentioned._

 **Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update the story. Writer's block is the worst :(**

 **This definitely isn't the best story I've written, but I hope that part four sort of makes up for it. I'd also like to thank all my loyal and patient readers for being so wonderful. Thank you everyone.**

Something happened. The Doctor wasn't entirely sure or why, but something happened. It wasn't a good thing.

Maybe it all started with the yelling. Everyone was yelling. It was doing nothing to solve the problem at hand, but that stopped none of the delegates. Parliament was falling apart and the rift between the countries was slowly growing. The Doctor was in charge of convincing Rassilon to leave Earth alone, but everyone else was interfering.

"If you do not willingly give up the planet, we will take it with force," Rassilon said.

"Will everyone please shut up?" The Doctor said loudly.

They all glared at him and The Doctor turned to Kate. "Please turn the screens off."

"But Doctor, we're on the brink of war," she protested.

"I can take care of this myself."

Kate reluctantly turned each of the screens off, leaving only the hologram on.

The Doctor turned towards Rassilon's hologram. "What do I have to do to make you leave Earth alone."

"You can give up the planet, or we will invade."

"I choose the third option. You leave or I will make you. I'm an old man with nothing to lose. Fear me."

"Well, prepare for war, Doctor," Rassilon said.

"You won't win."

"Oh, I doubt that."

The Doctor turned off the hologram.

Kate stepped towards him angrily, "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Indeed I do."

The Doctor exited the building, with Kate following him. "You've just started a _war_! Do you even have a plan?"

He scoffed, "Of course I have a plan."

"Well, what is it then?" Kate asked.

"Classified."

Just then, Petronella Osgood exited the nearby lab. "Oh, Osgood. You're still here."

She walked with Kate and The Doctor, "I am. And I've heard that you've started a war with the Time Lords."

"I have. So, Osgood, what's the plan?"

"Plan for what?" Osgood asked.

"The war."

Kate rubbed her temples, "Unbelievable."

Before long, they were outside, on UNIT soil. "Doctor, what are we doing here?" Osgood asked.

"Kate, I have some very important information to share with you and Osgood."

Kate nodded, "Yes, what is it?"

"You know today? Well, what's the day after that, but a week before, unless it's two days times four days, and divided by the number of stars in the sky, but it's not, or is it? You see, it's all philosophical, but it's science or law, two days after today, what day is it? You see, the answer is _The Matrix_."

Everyone was extremely confused by everything The Doctor said.  
"What are you talking about?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I don't think I understood either," Osgood said.

"The purpose of all of this was to create, how do you say… a distraction!"

And with that, the TARDIS materialised. The Doctor grabbed Osgood's hand and brought her inside the TARDIS, closing the door behind them.

Osgood looked around and gasped, "Wow! This is really it, the TARDIS! It's bigger on the inside!"

"There we go," The Doctor said.

River Song greeted her husband, "Hello, sweetie."

"Right on time, River," The Doctor said.

Osgood was confused, "Who's that?"

"No time," The Doctor said, "River Song. meet Petronella Osgood. Osgood's smart, River's my wife. All caught up? Good.

Actually, 3/3 of them had no idea what was going on, and were without a plan. That included The Doctor.

"We need to fix things," The Doctor said.

"What are we fixing?" River asked.

"Long story short, I accidentally started a war and now I need to un-start it."

"Should be quite simple. Not like we haven't been through this before," River said.

"What?" The Doctor asked.

"Spoilers!"

The Doctor stepped to the TARDIS console and began to fly the time machine with ease. The telephone rang and The Doctor picked up the phone and slammed it back into the receiver. It took just a few minutes to warn his past self and fly to the UNIT base. He burst out of the TARDIS front doors and looked at his surrounding. He saw Kate Stewart walking towards him. "Doctor! I was just about to call you here," she said.

"You didn't call last time," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Yes, I'm here to help. I'll go talk to Rassilon."

"How did you- of course," Kate said.

"I may have made some mistakes the first time. It's alright now. I'm quite familiar when it comes to messing with time. The timeline's really just a bunch of timey-wimey whatever," The Doctor said.

"You've been here before, so I assume you have a grasp on the situation."

"Where is Osgood?"

"In the lab, why do you ask?"

At that moment, Osgood wandered out of the TARDIS followed by River.

"Did it work?" Osgood asked.

"It's the TARDIS, it always works. Except that horrid noise. He still refuses to turn off the brakes," River responded.

The Doctor turned back to Kate.

"How'd that happen?"

"..."

Kate sighed, "Nevermind. Get Osgood and any other strange people you may have stumbled across along the way and go to the conference room."

Osgood walked with The Doctor, but he had to practically drag River along. The whole way to the conference room, they avoided the lab. Two Osgoods would be a disaster and The Doctor was glad that he didn't have to deal with that.

He stepped into the conference room with Osgood, River, and Kate. Rassilon's hologram appeared, "Doctor," he greeted.

"Hold on just a moment," The Doctor said.

There was an extremely loud wheezing noise. A moment later, the door burst open. Two gentlemen stood in the hallway. A pretty boy and a baby giraffe. The giraffe straightened his bowtie and the pretty boy said, "Hello, I'm The Doctor."

"I am also The Doctor," said The Giraffe.

The Doctor turned to the rest of the room and its very confused occupants. "These are my tenth and eleventh incarnations. Everyone meet pretty boy and the baby giraffe."

Everyone was still confused, but they just accepted it and moved on. "What's going on here?" Rassilon asked.

"Well, you may not consider Earth to be a threat and it may not be. But we are. We fought Weeping Angels, The Silence, Daleks, and Cybermen. Every creature you could possibly imagine. I will not stop until you leave this Earth."

"Neither will I," Ten said.

"I'm not leaving either," Eleven chimed in.

"Leave Earth alone," River said.

"You don't scare me," Rassilon should.

"You don't think that all of Earth as well as 3 ½ Time Lords isn't enough."

"I've led the Time Lords for longer than you've been alive. If you want war, I will give you war. You don't stand a chance, Doctor," Rassilon said.

Ten stepped forward, "You're right, we don't stand a chance. In that case, it's a good thing we brought friends."

Through the door walked Jack, Gwen, Ianto, Toshiko, Owen, and Sara Jane.

"Hello, Doctor. Good to see you again," Jack said.

Sara Jane walked forward, "If you attack Earth, we won't go down easily."

"You won't win," Ianto said.

"Why even try?" Gwen asked.

"It's useless," Toshiko stated.

"If you want this planet… ," Ten said.

"You'll have to go through us first, "Eleven finished the sentence.

"The Doctor will stand, protecting the Earth," Gwen said, "and we'll be standing with him."

"You mess with Earth, it's us you'll have to deal with," Sara Jane said.

"Give up the planet willingly," Rassilon said.

"Not going to happen," all The Doctors said.

Rassilon scowled, "This isn't over."

Eleven said, "Oh, we never thought it was. But Earth will never be yours."

"We'll do whatever it takes to protect this planet. Leave now and there will be no violence," The Doctor said.

"You lose," Gwen said.

"For now," Rassilon said.

And with that, the hologram disappeared. It was relief that Earth would be safe another day. For some of them, it was a brief reunion. Eventually, they parted ways. River and Osgood returned to their timelines, Sara Jane went home, and the others returned to Torchwood. Before each of The Doctors stepped into their TARDISes, they said goodbye to each other. "I guess this is it," Eleven said.

Ten nodded.

"Where are you going next?" Eleven asked.

"Sometime, somewhere, there's people that need our help," Ten said.

"There always is," Twelve said.

"But no matter the circumstances…" Eleven said.

"We'll be there," They all said.

They bid each other farewell before going back into their individual time machines. The Doctor knew that there may not be a lot of time left, but he'd help as many people as he could. There wasn't really any other option for him. There was always someone that needed help.

Some time later...

The Doctor stepped back into his TARDIS and he knew that it would be his last time in his current state. He could already feel the regeneration starting. At least he was home, or the closest he had to one. It was painful, but it wouldn't be the last. Oh, most definitely not.

He could hear the voices echoing over in his mind. It seemed that whenever he wasn't running, his past caught up with him. He wanted to think that it was too soon, that it wasn't his time yet. But that would be a lie.

The past would never entirely disappear, he knew that much. Even though he was just a madman with a box, they believed in him. Amy, Rory, Clara, River, Rose, Martha, Donna, and Bill. They trusted him. And The Doctor had let them down, each and every one of them.

He couldn't escape the guilt, no matter how hard he tried. The voices just wouldn't leave him alone.

" **I want you safe, my Doctor"**

"You don't know The Doctor. I believe in him"

" _I was gonna be with you forever"_

" **I REMEMBER YOU"**

"I refuse to kill the man I love"

And then there was Clara Oswin Oswald. His impossible girl. His savior. And she had died sacrificing herself to save others. She was always selfless. But The Doctor wasn't. On the contrary, he was selfish. Selfish because he wanted Clara back. Without her, The Doctor was lost. He would just keep running if he had no reason to stay. But she was his reason and now she was gone.

The Doctor rounded the TARDIS console and turned around. There, he saw her. "Clara, what are you doing her?

"I'm back, you stupid old man," she smiled.

Then, he stopped to look at her attire. The grey sweater and button down shirt were familiar. The clothes Clara was wearing when she faced the raven.

She saw his face fall, "What's wrong? Doctor, it's me," Clara said.

"But it's not," The Doctor gestured wildly, "you see, it's _not_ you. You're a- a construct! A figment of my imagination."

Clara's smile faltered. "Doctor…"

The Doctor so badly wanted her to be real, but he couldn't lie to himself any longer. Despite the fact that this Clara wasn't real, he didn't send her away.

The Doctor sat down on the stairs and put his face in his hands, "I'm sorry, Clara. For everything. I never should have let you sacrifice yourself. It should've been me"

 _Never be cruel, never be cowardly. And if you are, always make amends_.

She sat down next to him. "It was my choice, Doctor. It wasn't even a choice really, it was my destiny."

"If I had stopped you, you would've lived."

Clara chuckled. "Even if you had, something else would've happened. Fate always finds you."

She noticed the sad look on The Doctor's face.

"Clara, I'm not the person you once knew."

"I know that and I don't care. It doesn't matter that you're different than you are before. You're still you. My doctor," Clara said.

The Doctor laughed for the first time in a long while. "Sometimes, I forget that I'm The Doctor. You're the one that helps me remember."

 _Laugh hard._

"Fate's hard to beat, but everything's okay now."

"But not if you run from it. Fate. You could've come with me. We could've run away, far from here."

 _Run fast._

There was sadness in her eyes. "It wouldn't have worked. Did I ever tell you this story? Well, when I was a little girl, there was this night. The sky was full of stars and late at night, I snuck out of my room and lay down in our backyard to look at the sky. It was way past my bedtime, but I didn't care. It was so beautiful, I wished to just float away so I could live with the stars and the constellations forever. I'm glad I didn't though. This was my destiny, you were my destiny. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

 _Be kind._

The Doctor spoke, "I remember that night too. I was running. I wasn't running from anything, actually. I had this feeling, and so I hopped in my TARDIS to see where the sky would take me. The stars were all aligned and I was ready for an adventure. My past always haunted me, but not that night. That was the one time I was ready. Not to forget, but to remember."

"I felt so connected to everything. The whole universe was laid out right in front of me. That night, I thought I heard something. Barely just a whisper, but I heard it. I didn't understand, but it was the most beautiful sound in the universe," she said.

 _You mustn't tell anyone your name. No one would understand it anyway. Excep_ _ **t**_ _children. Children can hear it. Sometimes – if their hearts are in the right place, and the stars are too. Children can hear your name._

"If only you had lived," he said.

"You can't hold grudges forever."

"Time Lords can."

"But you're not a Time Lord. You're you. You're The Doctor. The kindest person in the universe. When someone asks for help, you never refuse."

 _Remember – hate is always foolish…and love, is always wise._

Clara stood up, "I'll never truly be gone, as long as you remember me."

"I'll never forget you," The Doctor walked to the TARDIS console.

She smiled again, "I never knew what I signed up for when I first stepped into this TARDIS. I saw the world and explored universes that I never knew existed. You opened my mind to all the possibilities. Thank you for making me feel special."

The Doctor smiled back, "Thank you for exactly the same."

Clara stepped back as The Doctor's hands began to glow.

"Remember," she whispered.

He turned around and Clara was gone. The Doctor sighed.

"We were brilliant, weren't we, Doctor? I suppose this is the end, but it's been prepared for."

The Doctor gasped in pain. He stood and circled the TARDIS console. "Before I let you become The Doctor, just listen. Soon, it'll be your turn. Don't you forget. Not one day of your time here. You must always remember when you were The Doctor. Never forget it."

He fell to the floor, but pulled himself to a standing position, "Remember. It's not just a name, it's a promise. And now it's your turn. I have faith in you. We could prove that we're worth more than anyone ever bargained for. It's your duty to protect the people of Earth now. They need your help now. Doctor… I let you go."

And then there was only pain. The Doctor was consumed by the regeneration glow. It was a painful process, but a chance to live again. The Doctor heard the voices. Rose, Martha, Donna, Susan, Sara Jane, Ace, Jack, Bill, Amy, Rory, River, and Clara.

"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor…"

But it wasn't over. Not yet. There were always more adventures to come. Of course, every ending was just a different kind of beginning. The pain eased and the regeneration came to an end. The Doctor stood and caught her reflection in the mirror.

"Oh, Brilliant!"

 **Author's Note: I really hope you guys liked this chapter. It is the last chapter in this story but I will keep writing for the Doctor Who fandom. Thank you to everyone who's read my stories because I'm still new to the fanfiction community and it means a lot to me.**


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